Building products for interior room environments balance interests with respect to cosmetic value, material cost, structural integrity, and fire safety. Previously, maximizing one or two of the aforementioned interests required sacrificing the remaining interests. For example, a building panel that uses natural materials (e.g., natural grain from real wood, as compared to replica grain from printed wood texture) may have superior cosmetic value. However, such building panels also previously had associated safety concerns as either the entire building panel would be made from wood, thereby increasing flammability concerns, or a cosmetic laminate structure could be used, in which case the veneer layer is susceptible to delamination at high heat, causing the veneer layer to fall from the building panel, thereby endangering individuals below the building and/or further fueling a fire.
Regarding laminate structures, previous attempts have been made to improve the fire safety performance of these building panels. Improved fire safety performance can be qualified as either: Class A, B, or C rating—with Class A being the best and C being the worst. However, some previous attempts to achieve superior fire safety have involved supporting the building panels during fire testing by use of a variety of external means—such as rods, bars and/or chicken wire. Adding such external support is not only inconsistent with the requirements of the building code or the current ASTM E84 standard, but it also provides a false indication of the integrity of the building panel during fire testing. Stated simply, there is a need for building panels that exhibit superior cosmetic value while also exhibiting high lamination integrity, especially during a fire in order to ensure proper fire safety.